Je T’aime Scumbag sees The Citizens Band at their
bawdy, sexy, ribald best. The setting is a prohibition era
brothel run by a crooked madam, in which the Citizens have
fled to take cover from the unraveling world outside. While
the politicians and world leaders above fail to keep the earth
at peace, the Citizens experience their own tribulations. As
they slip into raucousness they take their cues from the society
they’re hiding from and declare that “The world’s
gone bad, so we’re going bad!”

Song, dance and aerial ballet provide the entertainment
as the cast succumb to the indulgencies of booze, drugs, prostitution
and egocentric behavior. Their gluttonous, hierarchical ways
mirror that of the world outside their underground shelter,
where voracious, mercenary and avaricious politicians put their
own agendas before those of the masses. As the Citizens rapidly
lose their morals and integrity they sing a rousing song of
support to their Presidential paragon, the “Scumbag” of
the show’s title. Watching their decadent spiral into
uncivilized obstreperousness is a musical whirlwind of fun,
but the underlying message is one of self-destruction and the
universal dangers of self-interest over community spirit and
altruism.

Je T’aime Scumbag was first performed in April 2005
at Deitch Projects in New York City.